A book about family, passion, life, and death. About a woman who has no one left who loves her, except for her 10 year old son and the child she carries in her belly. All are agianst her and although she is about to breakdown, she stands tall and does what she believes is right for her to do. She portrays strenth, power, and braveness all in one. She is someone we would all like to be. A book that shows the cruelness of society and the cold-heartedness of family.

This book is THE seminal work, a handbook for getting along and raising sane children in the wake of a divorce. Dr. Ricci explains, in plain language, the root causes of post-divorce strife. The author then continues to point out the specific techniques parents can use to establish a working, cooperative relationship with each other. A MUST READ for any divorced parent!
--Brent Wellman, F.R.E.E.

I've been a fan of Nino Ricci's since I read Book of Saints in college several years back. Now he's written an amazingly beautiful, deceptively simple portrait of a brilliant, mesmerizing, not always entirely likeable man named Jesus, and in doing so has created a character who I can understand and empathize with far more than the Christ of biblical lore.

The book is told by four different people - Judas, Mary Magdalene, Jesus's mother Mary, and a boy named Simon who follows Jesus to Jerusalem. I was particularly interested in the perspective of his mother, whose recounting of Jesus's youthful rebellion and strained family life vividly evoked what life was like in the Middle East 2000 years ago and also gave a fuller understanding of the kinds of things that could have led to Jesus becoming the messiah he was seen to be.

I'd recommend this book to anyone who has struggled with religious faith and needs a character they can relate to, anyone interested in historical fiction, and anyone looking for a plain good read. 5 stars!

More than with "The Book of Saints," this book has gotten me thinking about the ties of family and their importance. Perhaps because I found it to be a sadder book, I didn't enjoy reading it as much as "Saints," but feel it will stay with me longer.

Unlike Lives of the Saints and Where She Has Gone, a longer period of Vittorio's life is portrayed in this book. He's 7 in the begginning and in his mid-twenties in the end. I can't think of another book that exposes the importance of family ties as much as this one. Everyone must read it! It's a masterpiece! There may be better trilogies than that of Ricci's, but I'm afraid I haven't read them.

Ricci continues to draw us into the life of young Vittorio Innocente through his colorful descriptions. The novel is not as riveting as The Lives of The Saints, but Ricci does paint an excellent picture of the italian immigrant mentality. An excellent novel, it touches on the importance of family as well as the pains and pleasures of adolescence and self-discovery.

This is a good fictional story, well written but I like his earlier work 'Lives of the Saints' much better, from story development and plot prspectives.

i had originally that that this book would have contained much of the same essence that "live of the saints" had, but i was blown away by the way nino ricci ended Victor's story in "WSHG".
the bizarre fascination with his sister, and longing for a relation with her was ill mannered/nasty , but yet i still continued to finish the novel. the only tick i had about this novel was the ending. it seemed to much of an easy way out, and nino ricci should have thought of sumthing drastic happening to Victor?Vittorio

The atmosphere Ricci creates in WHERE SHE HAS GONE is enveloped in sorrow. As the story of Victor and Rita unfolds, the deep melancholy grows.

Victor and Rita are half-siblings; Rita the product of their mother's affair in her small Italian town while her husband (Victor's father) was in Canada setting the foundation for a new life for his family Over the course of the first two books in the trilogy, their mother dies after giving birth to Rita on the ocean liner bringing them to Canada, and Victor and Rita are raised together for a few years on his father's farm, until Rita is adopted by a nearby couple.

The siblings grow up and grow apart, until the opening of WHERE SHE HAS GONE, where they meet again in Toronto-Victor as a grad student/writer and Rita just starting university. The relationship they develop as adults is complicated and sad, but compelling. Ricci's language is distilled to a very simple, effective style, that suits the mood he creates beautifully.

All three books in the trilogy are highly recommended, but it's not necessary to have read the first two to be moved by the last (though I'm sure after reading WHERE SHE HAS GONE you'll want to).

The story is poetically written. It is an immigrant literature piece, outlining the realities of moving from your home country to the unknown. It does end abruptly, and is not a "fluffy" story. However, Ricci does reveal the truths of his own life in the novel, serious and sad. Not for the faint of heart, but very well done.

I really enjoyed reading this book and finished it in a matter of days. A wonderful look at an Italian village, its people, their superstitions, alliances and lifestyles. It was particularly interesting for the way it was told, through the eyes of a young, naive boy. Looking forward to new titles from this author.

On my recent trip to Italy I decided to bring one reading book...I chose Book of Saints. Relaxing on a hot afternoon in my parents'hometown in southern Italy with Book of Saints in my lap, the story simply came to life; the small town, the people, the traditions, the gossip. It's the story of a woman who's husband left for Canada to seek employment. Left at home with their son and her father, she tries to stay happy. But certain situations put her in a bad light and soon the townspeople begin to avoid her and gossip about her. Subborn and proud, she refuses to make amends with the townspeople, which only serves to isolate her even more. Her choices affect her father and son as they too suffer the wrath of the townspeople. The choices that she will finally make will surprise you. Let's just say that she's a very strong and independent woman. I'm looking forward to the rest of Ricci's trilogy.